The state agency has had 231 Amber Alert requests since August 2002, Block said. A total of 191 were denied and 40 requests, involving about 46 children, were accepted. About 43 of those children were found safe. The agency doesn’t track the outcomes of the requests that are denied
Why doesn’t the state have a compelling interest to be involved in the tracking of the 191 cases that were denied? Would it not be of value to understand the outcome of the denied cases?
…”I think we should always be reviewing everything we do, especially when situations like this come to light,” said Isett, R-Lubbock. “We can’t imagine every circumstance when we
write a law. … I think it is safe to say I would be interested in more flexibility.”
Isett, who chairs the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, said he plans to start the conversation early next year and call for a review of the procedures that trigger the alert system.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is up for review this year by the Sunset Advisory Commission. The commission reviews all government agencies every 12 years to identify and eliminate waste, duplication and inefficiency.
So has the SAC ever reviewed the AMBER Alert system which began on 1996? Why wait 12 years to review the effectiveness of an agency?
“This would probably be a good time and a good reason (to start discussing it),” Isett said, noting the abduction’s unique circumstances. “When you had a pretty good reason to suspect foul play, the state would have, I think, a compelling interest to be involved.”
It might also be a good time and a good reason to track the cases of the 191 denied requests.
